Pumpkin Pain d'Epices Parfait Recipe

I made a pain d'epices last week and it most of it went very quickly. Pain d'epices translates to "spiced bread"; it's similar to gingerbread with the exception that no ginger is used. Also it's made with rye flour, honey and spices such as star anise, nutmeg, cinnamon and clove. I'll post the recipe for this moist bread next week. Tonight, I used the spiced bread remnants and made beautiful layered pumpkin cream parfaits for the holidays.

To complete the French dessert, I made it literally look "parfait" with a spun sugar decoration!

Persimmon Pie with Crumb Topping

I had some extra pie crust leftover from the date and pecan tarts I made a couple of days ago, and there was no way I was going to let it go to waste. One of the few fruits that are in season around the time of holidays is the persimmon. We have a couple of trees in our garden and they are absolutely laden with beautiful orange fruit. We grow two varieties; Fuyu, which are firm, and Hachiya, which are pulpy and quite a bit sweeter.

It occurred to me that Hachiya persimmon pulp would make a great pie filling, since it’s almost perfect for the job on its own. It makes the dessert super easy to prepare. The only work required is the preparation the Brazil nut crumb topping in advance and assembly right when you're ready to serve. 

If you’re lucky enough to be able to get your hands on Hachiya persimmons, definitely give this pie a try. Just make sure you let them ripen fully to avoid "cotton-mouth"!

Orange Pecan Pie Recipe

 During Thanksgiving, we usually end up so full that we don’t eat the desserts until the following day. This year I'm planning on serving miniature pecan pies so everyone can enjoy the dessert on Thanksgiving Day. Pecan pie is my husband Lulu’s favorite Thanksgiving treat, and I hope he enjoys this version flavored with orange and date syrup. The key to any pecan pie is to overload the pecan flavor, which is my primary objection to  the ones sold in bakeries. The reason is probably that pecans are so expensive. 

The citrus flavor comes from the combination of orange concentrate and orange peels. It gives the pie just a hint of tartness to cut through what is admittedly a very sweet dessert. So this Thanksgiving, consider going mini for your desserts. You and your guests will love them!

Pumpkin Creme Caramel Recipe

If you saw last week's dessert recipe, you know I made a French-style pumpkin flan for my husband Lulu. He had asked me to make a flan, which in his mind meant crème caramel, but instead I made a flan pâtissier (French pie crust with pumpkin custard). I always try to keep my promises, so here's the pumpkin crème caramel, which Lulu loved.

His favorite part is the caramel at the bottom of the cup. You could serve it as is, or flip the dessert onto a plate so the caramel drips all over the "flan". I photographed it in both serving styles so you can decide which you prefer.

Three days to Thanksgiving (or four days to Black Friday, depending on your priorities )!

Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes by Ingredient

It doesn't matter whether you're a newbie or a grizzled veteran; when it comes Thanksgiving dinner, we could use some inspiration. In that spirit, I've compiled a list of my favorite Thanksgiving appropriate recipes. I listed them by ingredient: sweet potato, potato, pumpkin, bread, greens, poultry, cranberries, pecans, so you can decide which one works best for you. Happy planning!

There are many recipes that are perfect for Thanksgiving in my first cookbook "Haute Potato". Two of my personal favorites are the potato cigars and the lavender and white chocolate potato torte. If you order it today from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, there's still a good chance it will arrive before Thanksgiving. And if not, it's packed with great holiday recipes as well!